What does a tube amp do

Solid-state technology all but obliterated the vacuum tube market in the early s. So why are tubes still popular with audiophiles and musicians? I thought it would be fun to contrast and compare the tubes vs. But if solid-state is so terrific why haven't tubes become extinct in the half century since transistors came onto the scene? Maybe, just maybe, because tubes sound better?

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Content:

• Valve types explained
• Should You Get a Tube Amp For Your Headphones?
• Amplitudes: The Mesa Boogie Blog
• Tube Amplifier Safety
• What sounds better, tube or solid-state electronics?
• Should You Leave A Guitar Tube Amp On All The Time?
• How Tube Amplifiers Work
• Best Tube Amps 2021: Top Choices from Fender, Marshall, MESA/Boogie and More

WATCH RELATED VIDEO: Tube Amp vs Solid State – What's the Difference?

Valve types explained

So you've made the decision to buy an external headphone amplifier for your desktop setup. It's an easy way to make your nice pair of wired headphones sound better because your computer's built-in amp just frankly isn't very good — and you want that.

Now you just need to decide which one to buy. There are two main types of headphone amplifiers out there. A solid-state amplifier amplifies the electrical signal using transistor circuits, while a vacuum tube amplifier does the same thing with vacuum tubes.

The do effectively the same job, just in different ways. A vacuum tube amp can definitely be considered the "elevated option. That said, a vacuum tube amplifier isn't definitely make your headphones sound better than if you had a solid-state amplifier — it's just a different sound. This is what I perceive as well, though this is not measurable in terms of frequency response.

The other thing with vacuum tube amplifiers is that you can swap out and try them with different tubes, which changes how they sound.

It's an allure for tinkers which audiophiles inherently are , in much the same way how people try out different preamps, photo cartridges, styluses and more with their turntable setups to customize the sound.

So the sound quality is admittedly subjective. The design of the two kinds of amplifiers is also subjective. If you ask me and I think most people , vacuum tube amplifiers have a "wow" factor that solid-state amplifiers can't compete with. The tubes stick out and glow when you're listening music. It just looks cool — and admittedly a little intimidating. Vacuum tube amplifiers aren't reserved for audiophiles, but if you're somebody who is thinking about buying one, there are definitely a few words of caution.

First, with their exposed glass tubes, they're definitely more fragile. And two, they require more maintenance; the glass tubes of a vacuum tube amplifier will eventually need to be replaced Stoddard says after about 5, hours of run time. A vacuum tube amps isn't a set-it-and-forget-it option. It requires more maintenance, but it also allows for more customization. But are great-yet-different options.

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Should You Get a Tube Amp For Your Headphones?

Javascript is disabled on your browser. To view this site, you must enable JavaScript or upgrade to a JavaScript-capable browser. Written by Dave Hunter. Whether a guitar amp is several years old, or several decades old, it can start to lose its sonic luster after hundreds or thousands of hours of use. With cathode-biased amps or those which have a preset fixed-bias level and require a specific grade of replacement tube, you can just buy a good quality matched set and install them. Replacing preamp tubes is even easier and often more affordable than installing new output tubes, so you might even want to try this one first, even if the output tubes are the culprit.

Amplitudes: The Mesa Boogie Blog

All major guitar amplifier manufacturers build their amps from solid-state technology, vacuum tube technology, or a combination of both vacuum tube and solid-state technology. Some amplifiers incorporate digital technology in order to copy the sound of other amplification systems, which is either a solid-state amp or a tube amp. There are also some high-end amplifier manufacturers who will invent their own sort of language to describe the patented type of technology or an amp design. The most important thing for you to remember is whether the amplifier is a tube amp or a solid-state amp. Just giving the specs a quick glance over should be easy enough information for you to figure out. Tube amplifiers date all the way back to the time of Thomas Edison, as almost every electronic amplifier had an incorporated tube design. Tube amplifiers were used in early televisions, radios, and telephone technology back in those days. In the situation involving guitars, tubes happen to be a better alternative to transistors. Over a period of time, modeling amps have done a lot to narrow the bridge between tube amps and solid-state amps.

Tube Amplifier Safety

It only takes a minute to sign up. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Do we really need tube amp for power amp? I understand that the tone change is done in the preamp.

What sounds better, tube or solid-state electronics?

The sound of a valve amp cranked nice and loud is synonymous with rock and guitar heritage. Valve technology was predominately found in televisions and radios from the mid to the late 20 th Century, transistor technology advanced and took its place. That being said, guitar amplifiers remained married to valves due to the unique feel and tone they produce. Similar to the construction of an old-fashioned lightbulb, a valve is a collection of different elements together in a vacuum, cased in a glass cover. One of the elements, the Cathode, is heated and electrons electricity flow from this end to the high voltage Anode on the other end. With just the Cathode and Anode this would be a Diode amplifier Di — two.

Should You Leave A Guitar Tube Amp On All The Time?

If you have not been trained to work with high voltage then have an amp technician service your amp. Never touch the amplifier chassis with one hand while probing with the other hand because a lethal shock can run between your arms and stop your heart. Use just one hand when working on a powered amp. The above warning is a pretty standard warning for high voltage work. An electrified tube amplifier chassis has many hazards that will bite you if you work on them long enough. Ask any amp tech about his adventures with high voltage and you'll get some interesting stories.

How Tube Amplifiers Work

But whether that meant anything to you is another question. Tube Amp Bias is an electronic process that ensures the power amp tubes in your valve amp run at their optimimum capacity so that you can get the best possible guitar tone out of them. It ensures the tubes are fed the correct voltage according the valves resistance rating. This is because adjusting the bias on a tube amp can be very dangerous if not done by a professional.

Best Tube Amps 2021: Top Choices from Fender, Marshall, MESA/Boogie and More

Outside the tech boards and repair shops, that enigmatic guitar-amp component called the rectifier rarely gets a mention other than as some form of promotional pitch, when a manufacturer or salesperson tries to convince you their amp sounds better "because it's got a tube rectifier. Whether or not that claim is true from instance to instance, you can bet in most cases it's a gross overstatement of the truth, while implying a lack of understanding of what this essential part of any amp's power supply actually does. Let's take a look at what a rectifier really is, explore some of the most common types, and consider whether or not it really affects any guitar amp's tone—and if so, how. Put simply, a rectifier is the component or network of components within a tube amplifier that converts the positive and negative lines of AC current from the amp's power transformer PT into a single line of DC current that enables the other signal-amplifying tubes to do their thing.

Tube amps, also known as a vacuum tube amps, are generally considered the best amplifiers for achieving hi-fi sound. So, how exactly does a tube amp work? Well, the first thing to look at is how a tube works. The sort of tube found in tube amps works on the principle of Thermionic Emission. Thermionic Emission is the process of using heat to generate and excite electrons, much like the effect of the sun on clubbers in Ibiza.

A working class hero is something to be, but a working knowledge of amplifier classes is not to be sniffed at either. Rift head honcho Chris Fantana gets technical. Chris Fantana: Hi Scott, great question! The output stage of an amplifier can operate in many different ways, using various different methods.